Third Street Theatre is interested in fostering and developing new queer voices and the authentic, artful representation of queer stories on our stages.
Announcing the 1st Annual
Third Street Theatre New Queer Playwriting Competition
Submission Deadline: February 1st, 2013
New Queer Playwriting Competition Application
Contest Duration: September 1st, 2012 – February 1st, 2013.
Application Fee: There is NO application fee for participation.
Prize: The winning entry will receive a two-day workshop with professional actors and a public staged reading. The staged reading will happen in March, 2013, in Calgary, AB. Exact dates and location are to be determined. PLEASE NOTE: Regretfully, Third Street Theatre is NOT in a position to bring the winning playwright to Calgary.
We may select up to two honourable mentions for our New Queer Playwriting Competition. Information about the playwrights and the plays will be published on our website and in all relevant media.
Please note that failure to meet the following rules and regulations will disqualify the entry.
Criteria for the Playwright:
1. The competition is open to all Canadian citizens.
2. The competition is open to new, emerging, and established playwrights.
Criteria for Eligibility:
1. Entries must deal wholly or in part with queer content. Queer content is defined as the queer culture, queer experience, queer identity, queer sensibilities, etc. Defining “queer” is often a very personal experience, with many different (and sound) definitions. Please be clear and understand what “queer content” means to you before you submit your piece.
2. Entries must NOT have received (nor will receive) a public presentation or production prior to the application deadline. Plays which have already received a public presentation or production – be it staged readings, festivals, school programs, etc. – are NOT eligible for submission.
3. Entries must be an original work, written wholly by the playwright(s). If the work is an adaptation of a piece that is not in the public domain, permission from the original creators of the work must be included in the submission process.
4. Entries must be written in English, though passages written in other languages are permitted. Please include appropriate translations.
5. Entries must be no longer than 90 minutes in performance length, and requiring a maximum of no more than six actors.
Criteria for Submission:
1. Submissions must be post-marked or received by Third Street Theatre by the application deadline (February 1st, 2013).
2. Submissions must include one(1) copy of the script, unbound, in a legible font / print quality, type-written / word-processed on white paper, one side only.
3. Pages must be numbered and the title of the play must appear on the cover page and in the header of every subsequent page.
4. The playwright’s name(s) must appear ONLY on the cover page. Do NOT include the playwright’s name, nor any other identifying elements, on subsequent pages.
5. Work is submitted at the entrant’s own risk. We are not responsible for lost or incomplete submission packages.
6. Only manuscripts accompanied by a self-addressed envelope of sufficient size with sufficient pre-paid postage will be returned.
7. Only hard-copy, mailed submissions are accepted. We cannot accept electronic submissions, and they will be deleted upon receipt.
Additional Materials:
We do not require additional supporting materials. The plays will be evaluated by a blind jury based on content and execution alone.
If you fear the piece might be rejected from evaluation without your supporting materials, please include whatever information you feel is necessary to justify your piece’s inclusion in Third Street Theatre’s New Queer Playwriting Competition.
It must be stressed that the supporting materials will ONLY be read by the administrator of the competition, who is a non-jury member. If the jury is at an impasse regarding the qualifications of an entry, the supporting materials might help the administrator articulate the rationale for inclusion, but will not – in any way – identify the playwright.
Completed submissions can be mailed to:
Third Street Theatre
#3 306 20th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
T2S 0E5
For further questions or inquiries, please contact us by e-mail at: [email protected]